Biography

Daniella Cook Sumpter is a Professor in the Department of Teacher Education and affiliate faculty in the Department of African American Studies at the University of South Carolina. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, she received her masters and doctoral degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a social foundations scholar—examining the historical, philosophical, and sociological contexts of education—and teacher education scholar, her community-centered research explores Black education, critical race methodologies, and anti-racist pedagogies. She is guided by the understanding that equitable learning opportunities require authentic collaboration with and in communities traditionally marginalized by schooling. Daniella’s early research on Black educators in New Orleans post-Katrina laid the foundation for her ongoing work and solidified her belief in the power of Black and other underrepresented communities to understand, interpret, and shape the world around them. Her research has been published in Qualitative Inquiry, the International Journal of Qualitative Studies, Southern Anthropologist, and edited volumes such as Evolutions in Critical and Postcritical Ethnography: Crafting Approaches and  The Handbook of Critical Race Theory in Education, among others.

Daniella is Vice President of the American Educational Studies Association and Past President of the Critical Race Studies in  Education Association.

Educational Background

Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Masters of Arts in Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Bachelor of Arts in History; Bachelor of Science in Education, Miami University

Teaching Areas/Areas of Expertise

Critical Multicultural Education, Black Education, Critical Race Theory, Culturally Competent/Relevant Pedagogy, Community Engagement and Urban Education, Qualitative Methodology

Research

Daniella Sumpter's interdisciplinary research concentrates on understanding how class, race and power affect the everyday schooling lives of students, teachers and communities traditionally under-served by public education across diverse contexts.

Teaching

Teaching areas/areas of expertise: Critical Multicultural Education, Black Education, Critical Race Theory, Culturally Competent/Relevant Pedagogy, Community Engagement and Urban Education, Qualitative Methodology

Selected Publications

Books

Cook, D.A. & Bryan, N. (Editors). (2024). Critical Race Theory and Classroom Practice. Routledge.

Selected Chapters and Articles

Cook, D.A. (Guest Editor) (Spring 2024). Teaching The Long Arc of the Civil Rights Movement. Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium Journal. Library of Congress.

Cook, D.A., Duke, K., Morton, B. & Spiering, J. (2024) Collections, Collaboration, & Community: Lessons from a Place Based Professional Development on the Long Civil Rights Movement. Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium Journal. Library of Congress.

Cook, D.A. (2024). Be of Good Use: Exploring the Intersection of Critical Race Theory and Postcritical  Ethnography. In Allison, A. & Noblit, G.W. (Eds.), Evolutions in Critical and Postcritical Ethnography: Crafting  Approaches (pp. 97-128), Springer.

Cook, D.A., Eargle, J., & Turner, V. (2024). When the Young Lead: The Legacy of Black Youth Civic Engagement in the Struggle for Civil Rights. In Waring, S. M. (Ed.). Teaching with primary sources for Cultural Understanding, Civic Mindedness, and Democracy. Teachers College Press.

Cook, D.A. & Bryan, M.L. (2023). Speak Truth! The Role of Dialogue in the Production of Black Women’s Scholarship. Qualitative Inquiry. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941231206739 

Cook, D.A. & Eargle, J.C. (2022). Centering Black Experience in Teaching the New Deal. In J. View & A. Guiden (Eds.) Teaching the New Deal: 1932-1941). Peter Lang.

Cook, D. A. (2018). In the Spirit of Ella: Race, Community & Education Reform in New Orleans Post Katrina. High School Journal, 101(2), 90-99. https://doi.org/10.1353/hsj.2018.0002   

Cook, D.A. (2014) Connecting the Disconnected: Scholar Activists & Education Reform in Post Katrina New Orleans. International Journal of Educational Reform. 23(3), 207-222. https://doi.org/10.1177/105678791402300

Cook, D.A. & Dixson, A. (2013). Writing Critical Race Theory and Method: A Composite Counter Story on School Reform and the Experiences of Black Teachers in New Orleans Post Katrina. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. 26 (10), 1238-1258. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2012.731531

Cook, D.A. (2013). Blurring the Boundaries: The Mechanics of Creating Composite Characters. In Marvin Lynn & Adrienne D. Dixson (Eds.) Handbook of Critical Race Theory in Education (pp. 181 – 194). Routledge.

Exhibits & Digital Scholarship

Boutte, G., Braden, E., Cook, D.A., Long, S., Williams, T. & Wynter-Hoyte, K. Faculty Guest Curators) Revolutionary Love and Black Joy in Schools, Universities, and Communities (Fall 2022). College of Education Museum of Education. Columbia, SC.

Cook, D.A. (2019, October 14). Community and Education Reform in New Orleans Post Katrina  [Leading Equity Audio podcast] 

Selected Presentations

Sumpter, D.C., Dungy, T., Caves, K., & McDonald, P. (2025, Jan 4-7). Necessary but not sufficient: The permeability possibilities for equity in education [Paper]. Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, HI.

Engaging SOURCES Graphically: Exploring the Civil Rights Movement through Library of  Congress Primary Sources and Graphic Novels. Keynote Address. (2023, January 21). SOURCES Annual Conference. University of Central Florida. Orlando, FL.

Cook, D.A., Anderson, A., Banks, O., Free, H., Lighty, N., Peeples, L., & Simpson, J. (2023, January 17). (re)Thinking Classroom Management by Centering the Voices of Young People [Panel]. Center for the Education and Equity for African American Students (CEEAAS) Equity in Education Conference, Columbia, SC.

Cook, D.A. (2021, April 9). Don’t Talk About It. Be About it #BlackJoy [Presidential Session Chair]. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Virtual. 

Cook, D.A. & Gavigan, K. (2021, April 8-11). The Continuing Significance of the Long Struggle for Civil Rights [Paper]. National Council for History Education, Virtual.

Cook, D.A. (2019, October 30 – November 3). Beyond Markers: A Digital Story on Universities’ Roles, Responsibilities and Reparations [Paper]. American Educational Studies Association Annual Conference. Baltimore, MD.

Cook, D.A. (2018, November 7-11). Communities as central places of pre-service teacher learning [Panelist]. American Educational Studies Association Annual Conference, Greenville, SC.

Cook, D.A. (2016, October 27-29). The Roots & Routes of School University Partnerships: A Counter Narrative. [Paper]. National Network for Educational Renewal Annual Conference, Arlington, TX. 

Cook, D.A. & Wymbs, K. (2015, April 16-20). Negotiating the Turn: School Reform in an Urban Rural High School in the New South. [Paper]. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference. Chicago, IL.

Honors

Selected Participant, Division K New Faculty Seminar, Annual Conference for the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL (April 27 – May 1, 2013)

Selected Participant, Committee on Scholars of Color Annual Mentoring Dinner, Annual Conference for the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL (April 27 – May 1, 2013)

Awards

• 2023 University of South Carolina College of Education, George H. Lackey, Jr. Award for Inspirational Teaching
• 2020 South Carolina Council for the Social Studies, Thomas Lowell “Tom” Buckland Memorial Teachers of Excellence Award.
• 2020 University of South Carolina MLK Social Justice Award
• 2015 University of South Carolina College of Education Early Career Service Award.